Keep Neil Armstrong at Durham University Business School

Durham University Business School (DUBS) currently provides a full-time career development service for Masters students which is administered by Neil Armstrong. At the end of May, Neil's contract runs out, and is not being offered an extension.

Over the course of the 2016-2017 academic year, Neil has run CV, Cover Letter, interview preparation workshops, as well as indispensable one to one query sessions that have benefitted approximately 250 DUBS Masters students. These services, combined with Neil’s hands on approach have been invaluable in helping DUBS Masters’ students prepare for life after Durham.

It has been through Neil’s guidance that DUBS students have gained entry to many high-profile companies, including Rolls Royce, AB InBev and FirstDerivatives. To put his efforts into perspective, Neil has been nominated for the DUBS Staff of the Year award. Neil’s personality and energy cannot be replaced – he is truly an integral part of DUBS and the University community.

In our view, the wide-ranging benefit of this service far outweighs the direct cost to DUBS. Not least, there are intangible benefits linked to the positive and pro-active culture Neil has encouraged. Irrespective of any contractual obligations that the Business School is under, we are deeply concerned about the future reputation of DUBS if talented and dedicated people like Neil are removed from the University.

We encourage DUBS students who have benefitted from Neil’s service to sign this petition of support, with the ultimate goal of keeping him employed at DUBS.